Industry leaders back call for ‘Anti-Ultra-Processed Planning’ in new guide from Craft Media London
LONDON, 10 June – Craft Media London has launched The Anti-Ultra-Processed Planning Cookbook, a new industry guide to planning, developed in collaboration with AnalogFolk, LoopMe, and IMS. In a world where comms thinking is being served up like fast food – quickly, cheaply and with an absence of nutrition – the book proposes an industry shift. It suggests returning to a focus on crafting the perfect recipe on how to mix your comms.
The authors argue that while performance metrics and algorithmic tools have brought rigour and accountability to media investment, they have also encouraged a drift toward sameness, with campaigns increasingly built from familiar category codes, short-term efficiency targets and templated playbooks. These additives can provide a short term hit for a big business with big budgets, but for fast growth challengers there needs to be a better way to build memory structures or develop competitive advantage over time.
Jen Jones, Co-Founder at Craft Media London, said: “Efficiency is essential. But when every brand is optimising toward the same benchmarks, optimisation simply accelerates parity. Planning should be about deliberate and unique choices – how a brand shows up, where it invests attention, and what kind of presence it builds over time. Ultimately, it should be nutritious for long-term growth, not just a short-term sugar rush.”
Created alongside independent partners AnalogFolk, LoopMe, and IMS, the guide combines strategic principles with practical tools aimed at helping marketers balance short-term accountability with long-term brand growth.
Jaimesh Patel, AVP Sales at LoopMe, said: “The conversation around AI is becoming more pragmatic as marketers focus on the specific challenges they are trying to solve and the outcomes they want to achieve. This guide highlights the importance of balancing data, technology and accountability with the strategic thinking required to create long-term brand growth.”
The launch comes as AI-driven planning tools increasingly shape how campaigns are built, bought and optimised, raising new questions about whether automation is enhancing effectiveness or quietly narrowing the industry’s strategic imagination.
Robert Scobie, Client Partner at AnalogFolk said: “We partnered with Craft Media London to co-create the ‘Plan Through Culture, Not Channels’ chapter because we believe the most effective communications planning happens at the intersection of cultural understanding, creative thinking and strategic innovation. In a fragmented, fast-moving world, brands need to be more than seen – they need to be felt, shared and experienced in ways that are culturally relevant and personally meaningful. This guide is a practical reminder that long-term growth comes from balancing technology and efficiency with creativity and human insight.”
Reflective of its core value of generosity, Craft is offering digital copies of The Anti-Ultra-Processed Planning Cookbook for free download at craftmedia.london/thought-pieces/anti-ultra-processed-planning
Physical copies will be available to buy with a percentage of profits being put aside to train up and coming strategists on the recently announced Media Planning Group (part of the APG)